After delay of five days because of weather problems and glitches with ground equipment, a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket finally blasted off from Cape Canaveral on Monday. The launch is intended to strengthen a pair of space surveillance spacecraft towards orbit. This will help in keeping a watch on space debris and anything that may pose a threat to the US military satellites.

The two satellites will work in tandem in the 22,300-mile-high geosynchronous orbits where majority of nation's national security spacecraft operates. Gen. William Shelton, commander of U. S. Air Force Space Command said the two satellites will provide with trajectory data for debris avoidance.